Jefferson City man found guilty in sexual assault case

Jefferson City man found guilty in sexual assault case

A Cole County jury found a Jefferson City man guilty following a second trial in a sexual assault case that dates back to April 2015.

Kevin Struempf, 33, is charged with two counts of first-degree statutory sodomy. Sentencing is scheduled for next month before Cole County Presiding Judge Pat Joyce.

In the first trial in August, a Cole County jury found Struempf guilty of both counts.

However, in October, Joyce granted a motion for a new trial. It was discovered after the August trial the victim had not been sworn in correctly for a video deposition. Struemph's defense argued the victim was not read an oath prior to her testimony and the jury's verdict in this matter rests on unsworn testimony. This prompted the judge to grant a second trial.

The victim was a then-3-year-old girl, according to a Jefferson City Police Department probable cause statement.

A relative of the victim took the girl to University Hospital in Columbia, where medical personnel said she had suffered bruising consistent with sexual assault injuries.

During a forensic interview with the victim, she told authorities Struempf had touched her in the vaginal area, along with other sexual acts.